By now your planning for Explore at the end of August should really be in full swing. I shared two recent posts on social media, but I want to elaborate here.

First of all the content catalogue has new entries for community sessions and more. You can now also register for sessions and I would hurry because the popular ones fill up fast. I am guilty of waiting too long myself… If you cannot register for a session, don’t be disappointed, register on the waiting list. Sometimes they add sessions or change for a bigger room. And remember not to fill up your schedule… You want time for networking (the in-person kind), labs,…. Click the image above to see all changes. I already made a list of sessions you need to see in a previous post. The Registration Tool is live!

This conference will be the place to get up to speed with VCF 9. There are a lot of sessions on the subject and you can even get certified! See this post for all the details.

I am kicking in an open door if I tell you I really love the Hands-on Labs… And this year they pulled off a stunt: VCF 9 labs were available at launch date! No waiting for the conference like before. So like me, you can already start learning the ins and outs of VCF 9 in a safe environment. You can even go off-script because you have a complete real environment!

So why come to Explore? Well the HOL team themselves make a good argument on the VMware Communities podcast (and I hope you listen to this podcast regularly): You can walk around the HOL area and talk to people! The Labs people are there, ask them about how they pulled of this stunt. The authors of the labs are there and you can follow guided sessions and participate in competitions like Odyssey. Listen to the podcast here.

And yes, all work and no play makes you a dull boy. Fellow vExpert Gareth Edwards has taken the heavy task on his shoulders again to track all parties and events that week… Follow his dynamic list here. See you at the comdivision Poker Tournament!